HDC hears consultant's final report on unauthorized Portwalk changes

PORTSMOUTH — The consultant hired by the city to review unauthorized changes made to a downtown mixed-use development has issued his final report on the project.

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By Jeff McMenemy

seacoastonline.com

By Jeff McMenemy

Posted May. 22, 2014 at 2:00 AM

By Jeff McMenemy

Posted May. 22, 2014 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

PORTSMOUTH — The consultant hired by the city to review unauthorized changes made to a downtown mixed-use development has issued his final report on the project.

Architect James McNeely of Boston toured the Portwalk project site at the intersection of Maplewood Avenue and Deer and Hanover streets in April and also received additional documents from developers.

McNeely presented his findings on the changes made to the apartment portion of the development to the city's Historic District Commission during a meeting Wednesday night at City Hall.

He noted in his report to the city that he ranked the changes to the apartment portion of the downtown development "according to their visual significance."

"The first three items are of importance because of their high visibility and/or elaborate treatment as key architectural features of the project," McNeely wrote in the report.

Six of the remaining seven unauthorized changes to the project were characterized as "indifferent to the quality of the project," by McNeely.

The project, when completed, will include office and retail space, 113 apartments, a restaurant, a parking garage and a 120-room Hampton Inn and Suites.

Commission Chairman Joseph Almeida said the board has completed reviewing about 95 percent of the unauthorized changes made by developers Jeff Johnston from Cathartes Private Investments and Mark Stebbins, chief executive officer of contractor ProCon.

McNeely ranked the most significant unauthorized change as the decision by developers to change the facade "at the intersection of Hanover Street and Maplewood Avenue."

"This angled facade stands at a highly visible and important intersection," McNeely said Wednesday and wrote in his report. "Unfortunately, both of ProCon's renderings dated February 1, 2012, and March 14, 2014, are misleading," McNeely stated.

He said ProCon "incorrectly shadowed the canopy ... as if it were an awning."

He then noted that he's been told by developers that "the circular canopy is being built."

But the addition of "miscellaneous added or modified windows" to the apartment portion of Portwalk — which has generated a lot of discussion by city officials and some members of the public — is only ranked ninth in McNeely's report.

"It is likely that a draftsman's error has the heights of some Maplewood Avenue windows ... changing while the same windows on Hanover Street do not," McNeely states. "The writer views these changes as indifferent."

Almeida said during Wednesday's meeting that the addition of windows was "not that important," as long as they were well-placed.

The Boston architect also addresses what he describes as changes to "the bay of windows at the intersection of Hanover Street and Portwalk Place," which he ranks as the second most important change.

The element featuring "12 floor to ceiling windows — appears in the renderings to have lost the plinth blocks and capitals on the three-story corner piers," according to McNeely.

"However, the writer has been told that they have been built. Two of the piers have been reduced in width, which has added interest to the bay," he concludes.

The Planning Board is also reviewing the resubmitted application by the developers, and voted last week to take a tour of the building before voting on the plans because so much of it already has been completed.

The Planning Board has since scheduled its site walk for 6 p.m. Thursday, May 29.